La Fin Est Un Nouveau Depart
by waterlilylf
Summary: A Series of twelve short stories - one for each month of AC 196 - dealing with what happens to the Gundam Pilots after the War. 'Apres La Guerre' prequel from Heero's POV. 1x2, 3x4. Yaoi
1. Chapter 1

-1Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not, sadly, belong to me, and I am making no monetary profit from writing.

Note 1 - Thanks to Kaeru Shisho and Snowdragonct for editing and encouragement.

Note 2 - This series can be read independently of 'Apres La Guerre' but it does take part in the ALG universe.

**The First Day is Always the Worst:**

_AC 196, January 23rd. 11.32 am. Orientation Meeting. Board Room, Preventers HQ._

This is a total waste of time. On my left hand, Wufei has apparently meditated himself into a coma; to my right, a young female agent is describing, in excruciating and unnecessary detail, her hobby of line-dancing. Across the table, Agent Harris, who is the Preventers Personnel Officer, is smiling approvingly at this ridiculous charade.

The 'phone I'm hiding under the desk vibrates slightly; another message from Duo. Ever since I sent him a quick message to say I was quite likely to die of boredom at the Orientation session, he's been texting me.

Wufei slides me a look that's doubtless meant to be disapproving, but is spoilt by the little smile hovering on his mouth. He knows exactly what I'm up to; I showed him a few of Duo's earlier messages, which were very funny, but the latest ones have definitely been private. My boyfriend is much more adventurous on the 'phone than in person.

I look up from replying to Duo to find Harris looking at me and Wufei expectantly. 'Just your names and perhaps a little information that will help us to get to know you a little better.' She gives me an encouraging smile and I get to my feet. This is ridiculous; I'm sure they all know who we are.

'My name is Heero Yuy.' I give them a brief nod and then remember something Duo told me. Apparently, in social occasions it is appropriate to give a polite greeting. Granted, this isn't exactly a social situation, but he'd still approve if I tried to be courteous. 'Good afternoon.' He also said that it's a good idea to smile, but I can't see the point of smiling at so many strangers.

Instead, I sit back down and Wufei stands up briefly. 'Agent Chang.'

Honestly, his social skills are even worse than mine.

'I see.' Agent Harris looks slightly stunned. 'It's a pleasure to have you both here with us.' She glances at her watch. 'I think we'll take a short coffee break now. I'm sure you want to mingle a little and get to know your new colleagues. We'll start back in twenty minutes.'

_11.43. Commander Une's office, Preventers HQ._

'Would you care to explain yourselves, gentlemen? I had thought that you could perhaps last the entire morning without assaulting your colleagues but I was apparently mistaken.'

'I acted in self defence,' I tell her woodenly. 'Agent Norton came up behind me unexpectedly; I simply reacted as I've been trained to do.'

'She only wished to shake your hand.' Une's mouth thins as she regards us both; she never wanted either of us in her personal organisation, but Relena did.

'Agent Harris informs me that you have both been highly unco-operative. Refusing to interact with your colleagues, even to shake hands this morning when you were all introduced.'

'The custom of shaking hands was never a part of L5 culture,' Wufei informs her firmly. 'Our elders believed it to be unhygienic and there is scientific evidence to show that it encourages the spread of bacteria.' He looks down at his hands, both stuffed firmly in his pockets. 'The Preventers manual I was issued with specifically states that agents will not be expected to engaged in any practices which are incompatible with their cultural backgrounds.'

She sighs and turns to me. 'Am I to take it that the custom is not a part of your belief system either, Agent Yuy?'

'I dislike touching strangers.' Actually, I dislike touching anyone who isn't Duo. 'In any case, I feel this whole morning has been a waste of time. Surely we could be assigned to something more productive.'

'It is productive to get to know your colleagues, with whom you will be working in the future. You could be partnered with any of these agents; you need to develop a relationship with them.'

_I already have a relationship._

That makes me think of Duo; I wonder what he's doing now. I got to send him one last message before my 'phone was confiscated. I'll have to borrow Wufei's when we get out of this office.

'I hardly think that is necessary,' Wufei states loftily. 'Yuy and I will partner each other.' That strikes even me as just a little high-handed. Une is technically our boss, after all; she probably wants to feel that she has some input in what we do.

'So you are saying that you refuse to work with any other agents? Is that correct?'

'Certainly not,' I say, trying to ease the tension a little. Duo would be so pleased if he could see me now. Well, admittedly, it would probably please him more if I just shot the woman, but logically that isn't a good idea. Her frown lightens very slightly. 'We both know and respect Agents Po and Noin. Being partnered with them would be quite acceptable.'

'We trust each other implicitly,' Wufei chips in. 'To partner us with strangers would be pure folly on your part, and would significantly decrease our usefulness to your organisation. It would take months, at the very least, for either of us to trust a stranger to the extent that a mission requires.'

Our commander splutters slightly; fortunately, her 'phone rings before she has a chance to retort and we are dismissed.

_13.26 pm. Commander Une's office._

She doesn't look any happier to see us this time. Even when we inform her that it genuinely wasn't our fault. Wufei and I were _told _the training exercise involved extracting information from a murder suspect. When we found out that the gun we'd been given was loaded with blanks, it made perfect sense to use other means of interrogation. It's not as if we killed him, after all.

Une isn't persuaded by our logic. We are both to receive a written warning. Appointments are being made with a psychologist to address our tendency toward violent behaviour.

Ridiculous, as I've said before. I'm starting to regret this.

_14.53 pm. Third floor office, currently being used for Preventer uniform fittings._

The room has been set up with a number of screens creating private areas for fittings. It's the first time I've had clothes made to fit me. I dislike the experience intently. Only Duo is allowed to touch me so intimately. Wufei's face is red when he emerges from his own small cubicle, pulling his clothes straight. Even more than me, he dislikes being in close proximity with strangers. With anyone, really.

'What are we going to have to endure next?'

'We're free until three fifteen. There is tea and coffee being served downstairs, apparently.'

I know we'd both rather die of thirst than have to go back down there. I have spent my entire life hiding my identity; anonymity has kept me alive. We've both been terrorists on the run for the past year. Now we are suddenly expected to live in the limelight, with the universe gawking at us. It's impossibly hard.

Instead, we find a cubicle with a windowsill to lean against. I borrow Wufei's 'phone to call Duo, and he does his breathing exercises. We both stiffen, at the sound of voices, suddenly on full alert. Less than a month ago, we were fighting for our lives against the people who are now our colleagues. I'm sure everyone in the entire organisation has some sort of grudge against Gundam Pilots.

The footsteps pause at the door and we can hear chairs scraping against the wooden floor. Two more people needing a break, perhaps.

'So…what d'you think of our two new recruits?' The voice is American, southern, I think. Young-sounding.

The first part of the reply is drowned out by the sound of a chair being dragged somewhere. '…wouldn't touch Yuy with a barge pole. You saw what he did to Harris this morning; broke her arm like he was snapping a twig and never even apologised. Fucking psycho. Probably wires himself up to a computer at night.'

Wufei and I exchange grins; Duo had said something of the sort when we'd first met. It will make him laugh to hear other people share his original opinion of me.

'Chang's hot, if he'd lose some of that attitude. Still, it's always fun to loosen up the uptight ones, right?'

Wufei gasps in outrage, and I shake my head at him. We're in enough trouble already; we don't need him to kill a fellow agent for the slur to his honour. He settles back down but his eyes are murderous.

'Pity Maxell didn't sign up. I wouldn't say no to a piece of that. Reckon it's true that Yuy is screwing him?'

The American sniggers. 'Oh, yeah. They're all alike from L2, like to spread themselves around. Maxwell grew up on the streets, right? Probably been selling his ass since he could walk. And if he's with Yuy, he probably likes it rough.'

_15.11. Commander Une's office, Preventers' HQ._

'Gentlemen. Since you left this office less than two hours ago, two of my top agents have been transferred to Intensive Care. In addition, three of the agents who tried to intervene have sustained minor injuries. Perhaps you would care to explain what happened.'

'They insulted Duo Maxwell.' It's Wufei who answers; I'm not sure if I can speak coherently. I wanted to kill those bastards. I still want to.

'According to the Preventers Code of Conduct Manual, chapter 4, sub-section 7a, it is a disciplinary offence for any agent to utter derogatory remarks about another agent or his family or spouse based on race, gender, age or sexuality.'

Une blinks; I probably do as well. We'd both been issued with these manuals; Duo had torn mine up to make paper darts. Wufei had apparently learned his off by heart.

'Mr. Maxwell is Agent Yuy's partner and my former colleague. Those men made remarks that we both considered to be extremely offensive. In the circumstances, I feel we acted with considerable leniency.'

'No one insults Duo in my presence.' I manage finally.

'Or mine.' Wufei shifts slightly so he is standing closer to me.

'This is…not a school yard, Chang!' Une snaps. 'You are both adults. You are supposed to be able to rise above a little name calling and deal with it in a mature fashion.'

'I see. So you would not object, hypothetically, to Yuy and I discussing Treize Khushrenada in demeaning and derogatory terms.'

Oh dear, as Quatre would say. This is not good.

They lock gazes, and Une is the first person to break away, fiddling with her ridiculous new hairstyle.

'I'm going to speak plainly,' she grates. 'I didn't' want either of you in this organisation, but Relena Peacecraft did, and so did some other ESUN officials. You are here on sufferance. You will both receive an official reprimand. I would have you both out of here so fast you'd think a Leo hit but Princess Relena has been receiving terrorist threats, and has personally requested you both as security. You will be assigned details tomorrow. That is all.'

_15.35 pm. Preventers' Garage._

We don't talk on our way down to the underground garage, not until we reach our respective cars. It's over. At least, we've survived the first day.

'Wufei. Duo doesn't need to know about this.'

He nods, looking mildly surprised that I bothered to say it. He gives a second nod goodbye and opens his door, and I feel a sudden surge of sympathy for him. I am going home to Duo; Wufei is going home to the small apartment where he lives alone. On impulse, I call after him.

'Wufei! Why don't you come and have dinner with us?'

He hesitates. 'Some other night, perhaps. Duo probably has plans for the evening. And he might already have dinner prepared.'

'Duo will be thrilled to see you,' I say firmly, regretting that I hadn't made the invitation earlier. Wufei is always reluctant to intrude. 'And you know perfectly well he won't have cooked; well, not unless he's mad at me for some reason.'

That makes him smile; Duo and Quatre's culinary skills - or lack thereof - were a running joke during the war. 'It seems rather forward to turn up at such short notice.'

'Duo won't care about that. You know you've got a standing invitation to visit us anytime and he's been dying to show you our home.'

'Very well,' he nods finally, glancing at his watch. 'I need to go home first to change. I'll come at six, if that's all right.'

'Perfect,' I tell him. Actually, this way works out rather well; I get to spend time alone with Duo before he arrives. Sliding into my new car and switching on my 'phone to dial Duo, I reflect that the day must have been difficult for Wufei if he's actively seeking out company. We've been asking him to visit for a week now and he's always come up with some excuse.

'Hey babe!' Duo picks up his 'phone on the first ring. 'How'd it go? Ready for me to pick up you up? That's cool that you get to finish early on your first day.'

'Actually, I don't need a lift. I've got my own car now and I should be home in about twenty minutes.'

'Really? You've got a special agent car? Does it have all kinds of cool gadgets?'

'It's got Sat Nav. And individual cup holders.'

He laughs. 'Reclining seats?'

'We can check later. Duo, I've asked Wufei over for dinner. That's all right, isn't it?'

'Cool! It'll be great to see him again, and he hasn't seen our house yet. Is he coming with you?'

'No, he had to go home first to shower and change.' I reflect suddenly that he'd actually said he had to go to 'my apartment' whereas I say 'home' at every possible opportunity. 'He said he'd be with us around six.'

'What, you mean you don't have showers in that fancy-shmancy Preventers building?' Duo laughs. 'Or was Fifi scared that Une might have CCTV to spy on all her cute agents in the buff?'

'One day you'll call him that to his face and he'll slice you into tiny pieces.'

'Nah, I've got you to protect me,' my boyfriend says carelessly. 'Right. What d'you think he'd like to eat? That little Chinese place on the lakefront delivers 'til nine; we can order from there. Sally says it's all authentic Chinese stuff, not Western imitations.'

'I thought I might cook something, actually. Could you take some chicken out of the freezer and start defrosting it? You'll need to put it on a plate in the microwave, and switch on the 'defrost' button.'

'No problemo. Listen, I was just on to Quat. His doctors are talking about discharging him in the next couple of days. They're running more tests tomorrow, and if they're clear, he's out of there.'

'That's excellent. Is he still planning to go to the circus with Trowa? It doesn't seem like the best environment to convalesce.'

'Probably not,' Duo admits. 'But you know what Blondie's like once he gets an idea into his head. He's got all sort of fantasies about him and Tro living in a caravan with roses 'round the door and cute baby animals everywhere.'

'His sisters won't like that.'

'Yeah, like they really care about him. Three weeks since that psycho chick Dorothy tried to make their little brother into a kebab, and not one of them's bothered to come and visit him. All they do is send messages about how disappointed their father would have been in his only son. That's really helping. Anyway, he got one of his surgeons to write a note saying it won't be safe for him to travel in space for at least six weeks. At least he's got a little bit of breathing space. Right, I'll go and find your chicken. See you in a bit, 'kay?' He blows a sloppy kiss down the 'phone and I'm smiling as I hang up.

I'm going home to my boyfriend. To our home. Life can never possibly be better than this.

He calls back in about five minutes.

''Ro? I think you'll have to stop and buy some stuff. I looked under 'C' in the freezer, and there's no chicken left. You must have used it all.'

'Sorry, Duo. It's filed under 'P' for poultry.'

'What the hell is poultry?'

'Chickens, ducks, geese. Any kind of edible domestic bird.'

'You are seriously weird; you know that, don't you? Like, it's not enough that the frozen stuff is filed alphabetically, you have to use words no one's ever heard of.'

'I thought it would be more efficient.'

'Well, memo to Agent Yuy; it didn't work.'

'Objection noted and taken under consideration.'

'Copy. You know, if this whole Preventer thing doesn't pan out, you have a great future as a filing clerk.'

_16.03 pm. Private residence of Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell. Address deleted for security reasons._

We're still debating the merits of my housekeeping system when I pull into our drive and park behind Duo's car. It's not the sports car he's always dreamed of; not yet. We've looked up a few car dealers on line and he was utterly shocked by the prices. Instead, we spent an afternoon visiting scrap yards and found this zippy little two-seater which he's sprayed a bright kingfisher-blue.

'Hey, 'Ro.' Duo pulls my door open and grins at me. 'So, this is what all the hot agents are driving this year, huh? Have to say, I'm not all that impressed. Une wasn't that generous with the budget, I guess.'

'It's not that bad,' I defend my new vehicle. 'We're supposed to have vehicles that blend in with their environment, and it's got a much more powerful engine than you'd think.'

'Just as well. So….what do you think of my latest project?'

It actually takes a minute to realise that our front door, which had been white when I left for work is now purple.

'If you hate it, I can cover it with something else,' Duo looks at me uncertainly. 'I just thought purple was your favourite colour.'

'Indigo, actually.' Of course it is; it's the colour of his eyes. 'I do like it. It was just unexpected.' Really, I couldn't care less what colour he chooses; he can paint the house tartan if it makes him happy. It's just so - conspicuous. Most of the other houses on our street have white or grey paintwork; I'm not sure if I like ours to stand out so much.

'They didn't have indigo paint. It says on the can that this colour is actually called heliotrope.'

'That's a purple flower.' I resolve to buy him some. Although I'll check with Quatre first that it's acceptable to give a man flowers.

'You're sure you're OK with this? I was talking to the old lady next door and she said she liked it. She's really cool actually; she brought over some home-made cake and we had tea together.'

'Duo! I can't believe you let a stranger inside! We don't know who she is.'

He rolls his beautiful eyes at me. 'Sure we do. Remember you did all those background checks on the neighbours before we moved in?'

'I could have missed something. And we can't have strange people in the house! You don't know anything about them.'

'She's over seventy, babe. She has this little dog that looks like the business end of a mop. I saw photos of her grandchildren. I somehow didn't think that she was a threat, not one I couldn't deal with anyway.' He tilts his chin at me, daring me to make an issue of this. 'I can handle myself, you know.'

'I know.' Damn, I don't want this to develop into a row. Not tonight. 'I never meant to imply you couldn't.' Before he can stop me, I manage to pull him into my arms. He's never comfortable with me touching him in public, but this is our garden, it's an extension of the house; it's surrounded by a high hedge and we're not overlooked anyway. It's private and he's just going to have to learn to put up with it. 'It's just that I like…handling you.'

He snorts at me; a sound that's slightly more amused than irritated. 'Nice save, Yuy. Doesn't mean you don't have issues with over-protectiveness.'

'You can't talk, love,' I laugh at him. 'You're the one who hacked into the Preventers personnel files to check the histories of the people I'll be working with, remember? And you covered me until I got inside the building this morning.'

'Oh, fine, we're both way over-protective,' he concedes. 'It's just - you're the one who says we should be living normal lives now. And normal people talk to their neighbours, and the pizza delivery guy, and the cashier in the DIY store.'

'You went shopping? By yourself?' I blurt before I can stop myself. I hadn't even known he'd left the house, but of course the paint had to come from somewhere.

'Yeah, all on my little ownsome.' He glares at me. 'No big deal, 'Ro. You get to go to Preventers by yourself and take missions; I get to go to the mall. Or what did you think; that I'd just sit at home all day counting the minutes for you to come home to me?'

'No.' Of course that's not what I want; not that he'd ever agree to do it anyway. 'I just…worry, that's all. It's not so long since…'

'Since everyone in the universe was trying to kill us?' Duo asks. 'I know. Really. But it's over now, all that stuff. We don't have to be those guys anymore.'

God, it's so easy for him.

'Anyway, I found this furniture store called Futon Fusion and they have some really great stuff. I thought maybe we could go there on Saturday and get a proper bed. It might be nice to get some real sheets and that sort of thing, instead of using sleeping bags all the time.'

'I'm not sure if I'll be able to. I may have to work this weekend.'

His brightly expectant smile…hardens, like he's only keeping on his face by pure will power. 'No problem. Some other time.'

'Why don't you just go ahead and pick something? Just surprise me. I'll like whatever you choose, once you're in it.'

'OK.' He sounds just a little subdued, and I have no idea what's wrong. We both knew this wasn't going to be a Monday to Friday, nine to five job.

'Duo….I'm sorry.'

'No big deal.' He pulls free and heads inside the house. ''So….how was it this afternoon?'

'Rather boring, actually. Une made a long speech while we were having lunch, about the aims of the Preventers organisation.'

He makes a face. 'I hope that one of them is to stop crazy women threatening to blow up the colonies when it's the wrong time of the month or something.'

'She didn't specify that one, actually. Then we met some of the other agents and got fitted for our uniforms.'

'I didn't think you got to wear a uniform. That's kind of hot. Is it sexy? Anything like those Ozzies used to wear? Tight pants and those cool thigh high boots?'

'Not exactly like that,' I admit, ' and I won't have to wear it most of the time. Just on formal occasions. I'll try it on for you tomorrow.'

He grins. 'And then I get to take to take it off, right?'

'Of course.'

'So … it was really all right? You liked it?'

I'd planned to lie, to tell him it was fine. Looking at the love and concern shining in his huge indigo eyes, I simply can't. I can't tell him all the truth either, so I … prevaricate.

'Not really. It was nothing like I'd imagined. It was mostly a waste of time; we sat around and listened to lectures. It was highly unproductive.'

'Well, they probably wouldn't give the new guys a mission straightaway.'

'I don't see why not. Anyway, the organisation is only a few weeks old; everyone is new. At least, I could have accomplished something rather than having to sit through interminable orientation sessions and those pointless socialising exercises that Une made us go through.'

Duo makes a face at me. 'You know, it freaking kills me to say this, but maybe she has a point. You're going to be working with these people, right? Probably a good thing to get to know them a little.'

'It was absurd. I worked with Wufei and Trowa perfectly well, and we never talked about our favourite hobbies, or our first childhood memories.'

'Yeah, that's pretty dumb,' he agrees. 'So what is it? Your first memory?'

'I'm not sure. Something to do with Odin, probably. I can't remember anything before that. I remember him giving me a gun; it was so big I could hardly hold it and he showed me how to load for him.'

'Figures.' He looks rather sad; I'm not sure why. I don't think it's a bad memory to have; I remember running my fingers over the cold steel and feeling flattered that Odin had trusted me enough to let me help him.

'OK, today was boring. That's bearable, isn't it? I mean, things'll get better once you've done all this meeting/greeting crap?'

'I don't know. Wufei and I both got into trouble. After the first orientation meeting, we were supposed to mingle with the other new recruits. One of them came up behind me unexpectedly; I broke her arm without even thinking about it.'

Duo says nothing for a minute, just slides one hand up and down my back; a light, soothing touch that suddenly reminds me I'm not alone. I have him. He understands me, more than anyone. When we're out together, he always walks on the outside, keeping strangers from brushing against me.

'Why'd 'Fei get into trouble for that?' he asks unexpectedly. Damn. I shouldn't have said we were both involved. I still forget sometimes how sharp he is.

'He…tried to help me. I had the woman on her back and he'd pulled a gun on her. Apparently, we weren't supposed to be armed on our first day.'

'Stupid policy. How'd he get on today anyway? I bet he wasn't into any of that social stuff either.'

'Of course not. I don't know…I think it was worse for him, almost. I don't really care about what Une says to me; but you know what he's like. We got an official reprimand, and he sees that as a huge stain on his honour.'

'Yeah, he would. Heero, the first day's always the worst, you know that. It'll get better.'

'I'm not sure I can do this,' I confess, sure he'll tell me it doesn't matter if I want to quit. He's never wanted me to join, after all.

'Sure you can,' he says firmly, gazing straight into my eyes. 'You've never given up on anything in your whole life, Heero, and you really want to do this.'

Do I? I can't help wondering suddenly. I liked the idea of it; working for an organisation that aims to preserve the peace; to use my skills for that cause. Also, I've promised Relena to stay for one year; I can't really go back on that.

'You just need to think of it like a mission,' Duo tells me. 'Your objective is to pose as a Preventer agent for the next year, even if it means doing things you're not comfortable with.'

I give him a faint smile. 'I….don't know if I can, Duo. You know I don't like being around people that much, and they all wanted to talk to me, shake hands….'

'Well, I'm guessing they won't want to do that anymore, once the news gets around what you do to people who try!'

'I broke an innocent person's arm. That isn't funny!'

He just shrugs. ''Ro, they're all agents, right? They know who you are. They should have the sense not to touch you unexpectedly. Anyway, I'm guessing that's the last time anyone is going try that on.'

'Probably,' I agree. It's amazing how he can do this; make me feel better with just a few words and his smile.

'Anyway, I kind of like that my boyfriend doesn't like touching other people. I'll never need to worry about you cheating on me.'

'Duo!' I say, stricken. 'I'd never do anything like that! Never.'

'Just joking, babe.' He kisses me full on the mouth, then trails his lips along my jawbone. 'Maybe I should make sure that you're still OK with me touching you, hmm?'

'What if Wufei arrives early?'

''Fei? No way. He's like you with the whole punctuality thing. Plus he's way too polite to barge in without knocking.' He grins. 'I think he learned that particular lesson a long time ago, with Tro and Quat.'

According to Duo, he is no good at oral sex. He can't deep throat, and he doesn't like me climaxing in his mouth. He constantly underestimates himself. I think he's incredible. Anything he chooses to do is utterly amazing, especially when he closes one hand around my shaft, and flicks his tongue and lips around the head. Little flickers of heat and moisture and pressure.

'Duo, please …'

'Not just yet, hmmm?' He pulls back just a little to ask the question, and I shiver as his warm breath ghosts against my skin. Keeping his fist wrapped around me, his mouth drifts slowly, tantalisingly further south. 'Can't we play a little bit first? Please?'

God, there is nothing in the world I would deny him when he looks at me like that. In the few weeks since the war has ended, we have become to feel … comfortable around one another. To tease a little.

For the first time ever, we have a place of our own. I've discovered that I can be…rather loud, in certain circumstances, and that we both hav

'Ready to come, Blue?' He murmurs, making it a question and an order and an entreaty, all in one breathy whisper. Of course I am; his voice, the things he is doing with his hands, that nickname, all make sure of that.

After I've returned the favour, and we've both cleaned up, I start preparing dinner, while Duo shows me the paint charts he picked up earlier, and we discuss colours for our bedroom.

This is - exactly what I wanted for us. The two of us in our own home. Perfection.

'This is nice, isn't it?' Duo looks up from marking colours on the chart and smiles at me. 'Just the two of us, like this. I know you're desperate to be assigned proper missions and all that, but I'm glad you're going to be around for a few weeks for your training. '

I swallow, concentrating on slicing a mushroom into wafer-thin slices. I have to tell him now. It'll just get harder, the longer I wait.

'I may not be. Une called us in to her office just before we left. Apparently, Relena's been receiving death threats and she's requested me and Wufei to be assigned temporarily to her security staff.'

'What? She's coming here?'

'No. No, she's still in Sanque, but she'll be attending the ESUN summit next week and Une is taking these threats very seriously. There are still a lot of disaffected people out there, and Relena's such a visible target.'

'Yeah. I see that.' Duo places the colour chart carefully to one side and stands up. 'Sorry. I guess we'll do this some other time.

'No, I'm sorry.' I get to my feet, sliding my arms around his waist.

'When d'you have to leave?' He holds himself stiffly against me, although he doesn't pull away.

'The details haven't been finalised yet.' This is essentially the truth, although not strictly so. Duo has taught me how honesty can be….a malleable thing. 'We should find out in the next couple of days. I'm sorry.'

His eyes search my face, and whatever he sees there makes him suddenly wrap himself around me. 'It's OK, Heero. I do get that you have to leave. I knew you'd be doing a lot of travelling; just didn't think it'd happen quite this soon.' He sighs softly, brushing his lips against mine. 'Relena damn well better not try making any moves on you, or she'll be getting more than threats.'

'She knows I'm gay, baka. She knows I'm with you.'

'Good,' he mutters. His kiss is deeper this time. Possessive.

The sound of someone ringing the doorbell makes us both jump; it's the first time we've had a visitor.

'Damn. He always did have a lousy sense of timing,' Duo mutters and leans in for one last kiss, before answering the door.

While Duo shows Wufei our car and our front door and our garden, I run upstairs and my lover makes a face when he sees what I'm holding. I have had my camera for precisely one week and already he hates the thing. I would paper the house with pictures of him if I could; he can't stand having his photo taken.

I hand the camera to Wufei; it's time we had some pictures of the two of us together. And slide one arm around Duo's waist. I feel him stiffen and then relax when Wufei doesn't immediately launch into a rant against indecency, leaning against me and laughing.

Wufei gives me back the camera and hands a small, square parcel to Duo.

'You didn't have to bring us a gift, Wu!' My boyfriend casts me a vaguely anxious look, and I just shake my head. I don't know anything about the etiquette of present giving either. 'We don't have anything for you.'

'On L5, it was a tradition to give a small present to celebrate a new home.' Wufei looks as uncomfortable as we both do. 'I hope you will accept this with my best wishes. Please, it is merely a small, worthless token; there is no obligation involved.'

'We would be honoured,' I say formally.

'Thank you so much,' Duo says quickly, getting us past the awkward moment by ripping off the layer of tissue paper. 'Wow. You did this, 'Fei, right? It's the …calligraphy stuff you do? It's beautiful.'

Our gift is a small piece of calligraphy; I hadn't even know Wufei knew how to do it.

'The symbols mean something, right?' My lover traces the delicate brush strokes with one hand.

'Peace.' Wufei says softly, glancing between us.

'It's perfect.' Duo wraps the little painting back up carefully, placing it on our dining table. ''Fei, what can we get you to drink?'

'Tea, please, if you have it.'

He laughs. 'We have the largest collection of herbal teas in private ownership. I even got some of that ginseng tea you like. It's in the cupboard beside the sink, 'Ro.'

I nod, heading for the kitchen. I'd seen the packet earlier and assumed he'd just picked it up by mistake. When I come back, holding a tray with three cups, they are sitting on the couch.

'Rough day, huh?' he asks softly. I should have told him Wufei won't want to talk about it.

Instead of denying it, Wufei just slumps forward, nodding and Duo edges slightly closer.

I can't help the most ridiculous little prick of jealousy. I don't entirely understand their relationship. They hadn't got on for months; Wufei disapproved of practically everything about Duo, and had no compunction about saying so, and my lover played up to that.

Things changed after they'd been prisoners together. Neither of them has ever really spoken about it, and it certainly wasn't like they suddenly became best friends. They still peck at each other, but I think it's more out of habit than anything; they're not really sure how else to communicate. They have become extremely protective of each other, though.

I can't hear what Duo is saying; Wufei has dropped his head on to his folded arms, and my lover is murmuring something in his ear. Watching them, I'm suddenly submerged by guilt. I have Duo, who loves me and whom I love more than life. Nothing is ever going to change that; so what right have I to feel guilty over him paying attention to our friend?

Duo talks for most of the meal; just little things like his visit to the DIY store and how he drooled over the power tools section. He tells Wufei about my filing obsession and how he's scared I'm going to file him away somewhere if he stays still for long enough.

By the time we're eating dessert, Wufei has actually lost that drawn look he's been wearing for weeks now, almost since the war ended. He is smiling as he says his goodbyes, and even allows Duo to give him a quick hug.

After he's driven out of sight, in the Preventers vehicle that is a twin to mine, Duo turns to me. 'Shit, he looks terrible. I know these last weeks have been tough, but he's really having problems coping. We should have dragged him out here days ago.'

'We tried,' I remind him. 'We've been asking him every day since we moved in. You know how much he likes his own space; even Quatre said we shouldn't pressure him.'

'Well, we shouldn't have taken no for an answer. Maybe he'll come out more often now that he knows we're half way civilised.' He fidgets with the end of his braid for a few moments, then takes my hand. 'We were going to take the Yuy-mobile for a drive, right?'

I nod, thinking he just wants to try out the car, but he turns left at the end of our street and on to the highway.

'Where are we going?'

'Surprise.' He leans over and takes my hand in his. 'You'll like it.' He presses my fingers gently and I squeeze back. 'Remember the first time we did this?'

'Always. The day you finally got around to asking if I was gay.'

'Huh.' He turns his head for long enough to stick his tongue out at me. 'It was the first day you ever brushed my hair. Damn near tore it out by the roots.' He's grinning though, and rubbing his thumb over my knuckles.

'You know, I always thought of that as the day when we first became a couple.'

'Really?' He sounds surprised. 'You never told me that before. I mean, we didn't even kiss 'til weeks later.'

'You let me hold your hand. And touch your hair. So…when did you think we officially got together?' I've never actually thought about this before, but neither of us ever asked the other out.

'Um, I don't know really.' The faint note of surprise in his voice matches my own. 'I wanted to be with you for so long, and then ….we just were. I don't really remember exactly how it changed.'

'Quatre would be so shocked if he heard that,' I tease. 'You know what he's like for celebrating anniversaries.'

'Yeah. I guess…OK, here we are. Pretty huh?'

He pulls the car into a lay by that's marked as a view point. I haven't even noticed where we were going, but we're parked on a promontory overlooking the lake. The water is reflecting the city lights, like stars.

'That night you rescued me from that OZ base was special. I think I realised then that you really cared about me.'

'Well, we're not celebrating that night,' I tell him firmly. He'd been beaten up, tortured, almost raped. He'd never actually told me what those bastards had done to him, but I'd been the one who'd taken care of him after.

My mind is whirling off in directions I don't like. We'd been a couple for at least two months at that point, by my reckoning. What does that mean? Did he think I'd only been playing with him, that I hadn't been serious about how I felt?

'That was the first time you called me _love_,' he whispers, before I have time to get even more depressed. 'Remember? You said it seven times before I fell asleep, and you said you loved me. I've never felt so safe in my whole life, not ever.' His voice drops even lower, low enough that I have to strain to hear. 'I'd been so scared, before, that maybe it wasn't real, this thing between us, that I'd been imagining too much or something because I wanted it so damn badly, and then you just looked into my eyes, and promised that you'd stay with me, and I - I just knew you would.'

'Always.' He'd told me he loved me that night, for the first time. He'd breathed the words on the verge of sleep, and I didn't know if he remembered saying it. I'd never wanted to ask him. It just seemed so - needy, somehow.

Duo lifts my hand to his mouth, sliding his lips across the skin. 'I know it was a really shitty night and everything, but that bit was special. Just falling asleep with you holding me, and saying we loved each other. I'd never said that to anyone before, never heard it from anyone either.'

'I know.' I say it softly. 'It meant so much to me, that you trusted me enough to let me guard you, after everything that had happened to you.'

'Oof, serious sap alert, babe.' He's never comfortable discussing certain things from his past. That way, he can pretend they never happened. Stupid, Yuy. Stupid. Aren't you ever going to learn that there are some things he just won't talk about? Every time he starts to open up, even a little bit, I say the wrong thing and he veers away.

Before I can work out what to say next, my seat falls back and Duo is suddenly straddling me.

'Well, what do you know?' he asks delightedly. 'Guess these seats do recline after all.' He just curls up against me, reaching one hand up to touch my hair. 'I really missed you today,' he confides softly. 'I know it wasn't for long, but … I still missed you not being home.'

'I missed you too,' I tell him. Since the war ended, we haven't been apart for more than a few hours at a time. Duo…. you'll be all right without me, won't you?'

The question earns me a snort and an elbow to the ribs. ''Course I will, babe. I'll be fine.' Of course I will. I can't imagine, now, why I worried about him. He is adjusting to our new life without a second's thought. I'm the one who needs him.

'Quat told me about this cool Earth custom called 'parking' where you take your car and your boyfriend to a nice, deserted spot and make out. I thought it sounded kind of fun.' He raises his eyebrows at me, and gives me a teasing little grin. 'Want to try it? I mean, we're halfway there already….'

'I like it when you call me your boyfriend.' I reach up to kiss his lips, and shift slightly underneath him. I'm missing my spandex shorts all of a sudden; denim is considerably less…stretchy and having Duo sprawled over me is making my jeans uncomfortably tight.

'Well, it's true. Although, you know you never asked me out officially.'

'You never asked me either.'

His beautiful mouth twitches between a smile and a pout. 'Guess I didn't. You think we should do the whole asking thing? Maybe go on a real date sometime?'

'I'd like that. Would you like to go out with me, Duo?'

The smile widens. 'That's all I get? Quat says Tro was all romantic and eloquent when he asked him out.'

'I doubt that somehow.'

'He says Tro has hidden depths.' He gives a sudden snort of laughter. 'That wasn't meant to be a pun, by the way.'

He laughs even more at my loud groan, and I take advantage by flipping him over so I'm the one lying on top. 'You want romantic, Maxwell? I love you more than anything in all the universe. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You make me happier than I've ever been and I never want to lose you.'


	2. Don't Shoot the Polar Bears

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me in any shape or form.

Note: Many thanks to KS for editing and to everyone who's reviewed.

**Don't Shoot the Polar Bears:**

_AC 196. February 14th. 9.37 am. Heero Yuy's bedroom, Royal Palace, Sanque._

I have this morning planned exactly. Pack; 'phone Quatre; double check Relena's security arrangements with Wufei and Sally. Entertaining casual callers does not figure on my schedule, so I ignore the first knock on the door.

And the subsequent three knocks.

_Go away. I'm busy. _

'Heero? I know you're in there! _Heero_!'

_Damn. _

'Relena. Is there a problem?'

'Not exactly.' Relena edges past me into the room.; something I can't really prevent, short of physically pushing her back out. It's the first time she's ever been here. Always before, when she needed me, she's called me over the intercom or sent a servant to fetch me. 'It's just a silly little mistake someone made on my security roster for tonight. You're supposed to be escorting me to the Valentine Day's Ball but someone's put down Agent Chang instead.'

'That's not a mistake. I'm taking a couple of days off.'

'What?' She gasps. 'That can't be true. I've been looking forward to this for weeks.'

'I'm sure you'll still have a good time. And Wufei is a highly competent agent. He'll take excellent care of you.'

'I don't care about that!' Her eyes narrow suddenly. 'Has Commander Une authorised this leave?'

'I have informed her, yes.'

'But you'll be away on Valentine's Day. I had plans. I thought we could have supper together after the ball and …'

'I'm quite aware of what day it is, Relena. That's why I need time off; I want to be with Duo tonight.'

'Duo!' She snaps the two syllables of my lover's name. 'It's always Duo, isn't it? What does he have that I don't?'

I bite off the obvious answer; she is my current employer, after all. Besides, Duo has _everything_. Everything I could ever want. It's still a miracle, that he's chosen to be with me.

'I thought we were friends! We've spent so much time together over the past few weeks. You went riding with me on Saturday and last night we walked in the palace gardens for hours.'

'It's my job to do all of those things. I'm your bodyguard, remember?' Honestly. I have read that women suffer from hormonal imbalances at certain times of the month, forcing them to behave irrationally, but this is ridiculous. Perhaps I should research some sort of hormone therapy for her? Or Duo tells me that his friend Hilde gets chocolate cravings; I could have a quiet word with Relena's maid and suggest a small stash of chocolates should be placed discreetly in her bedroom.

'But…don't you like me?'

Duo has taught me about something called tact, so I answer carefully. 'I admire your integrity in holding to your principles, misguided and impractical though I believe many of them to be.'

She ignores this completely; so much for trying to be courteous and sensitive.

'I don't know how you can do this to me, Heero!' Her voice trembles slightly. 'I _know _you like me! You never killed me during the war, not once! And now you're abandoning me to Wufei and Sally. They'll be so busy making googly eyes at each other that they won't notice what happens to me!'

'Don't be so silly. Wufei and Sally are colleagues, nothing more. I assure you, he has no interest in her…romantically, and furthermore, I doubt very much if he's ever …googled an eye at anyone in his entire life!'

'You're the one who's being ridiculous, Heero! Sally likes him; women can see these things! Men are so _stupid _sometimes; they have to be shown what's best for them.'

'I think that's the most ridiculous thing you've ever said. Well, no, maybe not the most; some of your pacifist rants were particularly inane!'

There, that should offend her enough to make her stalk off. Hopefully. Instead, she glides over the carpet and strokes my cheek before I can flinch away.

'Oh, Heero. When are you going to stop pretending like this? We make such a wonderful couple; everyone says so. Why, we're even on the front cover of _Hello _this week!' She sighs soulfully, her expression suddenly filled with compassion. Dear God, this is worse than I'd thought. The girl is seriously delusional.

'Don't worry, darling. I understand completely. Of course, you can't become involved with me while you're still with that - Maxwell person. But you can't ruin both of our lives because you made one silly mistake. It'll be kinder in the long run, really, if you just finish with him. I'm sure you just felt sorry for him during the war; I realise that men have, well, needs and…'

'That's more than enough!' I snap, taking her arm and propelling her towards the door. Life would be a lot simpler if I'd just killed her the first time we'd met, like I was supposed to.

'I'll wait for you,' she squeals as I shove her out into the hallway. 'We're meant to be together! I'll be here for you when you finally realise I'm the one you want.'

She's mad. Utterly mad. Shaking my head, I finish my packing and then call Quatre. We send regular emails, but we haven't spoken in person for over a week. He'd been happy and excited then at the prospect of starting a new life at the circus with Trowa; now he looks terrible. He's always pale, but now he just looks fragile, even worse than he did when he was in the hospital. And his eyes are red.

'Heero! How wonderful to see you!'

'You look terrible,' I inform him flatly and it startles him into laughing.

'I really hope you don't talk to Duo like that.'

'I would if he looked anything like you do right now. What's the matter?'

'Nothing. I'm fine; a little tired, that's all.'

'Quatre, I'm not blind. Just tell me what's wrong. You're still not sleeping, are you?'

'Not really. Trowa's moved our caravan right beside the lions' cages, and they roar all night long. It's horrible.'

'Why don't you just move somewhere else?'

'Well, we could I suppose, but it's part of his job to look after them. One of the lionesses had cubs a couple of days ago, and he has to check on them every couple of hours during the night. I'm all right, really. I'm sure that I'll soon get used to it, and in the meantime I can take a nap while he's working.'

'You weren't sleeping when I called. You don't look like you've slept properly for days. And you've been crying.'

He sighs, shoving one hand through his hair. 'Today has been…rather stressful. Tro fell off the high-wire last night, when he was practising.'

'What? Is he all right?' As soon as I've asked the question, I know he has to be. I'd have heard otherwise.

'Oh, he's fine. He didn't fall very far, and there was a net underneath anyway.' He pauses, looking down and pleating the quilt in his fingers. 'It was awful, Heero. It was like…when he fell before, when I almost killed him. I just freaked out. And Catherine says I can't watch him anymore, until I have more control over myself.'

'She can't talk to you like that!'

'Well, she's right actually. I don't think Tro can concentrate properly if I'm there, and I couldn't bear it if he fell again, and it was my fault.'

'Oh, Quat.' I suddenly have the most ridiculous urge to wrap my arms around the vid screen. 'You can't go on like this. I can't believe Trowa doesn't realise how unhappy you are.'

'Heero, you can't tell him any of this! Catherine's the only family he has in the world. I've already taken him away from her once; I'm not going to do it again. They need a chance to spend time together. And I'm not miserable all the time. I get to be with Trowa a lot and that makes up for anything else.

'Besides, I'm not sure where else we'd go. I have to go back to L4 at some point, but I don't want to, not yet. I wish we could just go away somewhere, and be together for a while.'

'Why don't you?'

I feel a little prick of guilt as I ask the question. It had been Duo's dream after the war; that we could just walk away from everything that we'd done, that we were. The prospect had terrified me, and I'd bolted into a Preventers uniform. I had dozens of reasons to justify that decision, and I'd never told Duo the truth.

Quatre just sighs. 'That's what Duo thinks I should do. But I can't expect Trowa just to walk out on his sister. He's been looking forward to this for so long; I have to give it a try, for his sake. And he's so _happy_. He and Catherine stayed up for hours last night, talking about their parents. He's finding out all sorts of things about his past and it's so wonderful to see him enjoying himself.'

'I can't see him being happy when you're not.'

'I'm not unhappy! I'm just tired, really.' He slumps back on to his pillows. 'You know what Trowa was like after everything ended. He was saying that we didn't belong together anymore, that we were from such different worlds and that I should go back to where I belonged. I have to show him that I can fit in here, with his world.'

'The lion cubs must be very cute.' I say, trying to cheer him up. He'd been so excited about the thought of living with a travelling circus and having so many animals to play with.

'I imagine so. Trowa says they are, anyway. Apparently, mother lionesses are very protective of tiny cubs, and it stresses them out to have strangers near them. Tro says he'll take some pictures when they're older so I'll get to see them then.'

'When are you coming to visit us? With or without Trowa? We'd both love to see you, even if it's just for a couple of days. I know Duo misses you.'

'What, and you don't?' He teases, and for the first time, his smile is actually genuine, lighting up his eyes. How the hell can Trowa not see how unhappy his lover is?

'You know I do.' The smile deepens; talking to him is always so _easy_.

'Maybe in the next couple of weeks. I'd really rather not leave Trowa just yet.'

'Oh?' I lift an eyebrow at him. 'Something you need to tell me?'

'This isn't easy for him either, you know,' he says softly. 'He thought he'd lost me, at the end of the war and he's blaming himself for it; he thinks he should have been with me. That if he'd found me sooner, he could have stopped it.'

'You're corrupting him. All that guilt of yours must be contagious.'

Quatre attempts a smile. 'Stop fussing, Heero. I can take care of myself, and Trowa. I just need to try a little harder to fit in; that's all.' His next question is carefully casual. 'How is Wufei?'

'God, I've no idea. I think he talks to Duo sometimes, but he doesn't say anything to me that isn't directly connected to work. I did try speaking to him about you, and he just stalked off. You know the way he is.'

He nods. 'I've left messages for him; he's never bothered to call back. I don't even know for certain what they argued about it, just that it was something to do with Tro refusing to join the Preventers. Trowa's refusing to talk about it; he won't even let me mention Wufei's name. I think 'Fei must have said something about me; you know how protective Trowa is.'

'I had noticed, yes. I don't know what to do, Quatre. He just seems determined to shut himself off from the rest of us.'

'This is all terribly hard on him,' my friend says quietly. 'He lost absolutely everything, didn't he? His family, his home, the girl he'd married. And his clan was so isolated; practically everything is a culture shock to him now. He kept going through the war, I think, because he had a definite goal. He doesn't really know what to do any more.'

'Treize's death hit him very hard,' I note carefully.

'Ah.' Quatre, our master strategist who can see into people's hearts, sits forward, regarding me intently. 'I did wonder if you'd guessed.'

'I met the man, remember? He had such immense charisma. I'm sure Wufei would have felt that, and then he was the perfect, honourable warrior, wasn't he? It's another thing Wufei won't talk about.'

'I'm not sure if he's admitted the attraction to himself, actually. He won't even acknowledge the possibility that he may be gay, and then it would kill him to be attracted to an enemy, however noble and honourable he may have been.'

'So what do we do?'

'Dear Allah, _I _don't know! He won't even talk to me; he blames me for Trowa not being in a Preventer uniform right now. Just … be there for him, Heero. Let him know you're still his friend, or trying to be anyway. Has Duo said anything about him?'

'Not really. You know he'd never break any confidences, but he's worried.'

'Oof,' Quatre collapses dramatically back on his pillows. 'My head is starting to hurt from all this.'

'I know the feeling. Listen, I should go in a few minutes anyway. I really rang to thank you for all your help for tomorrow.'

'It was nothing. Was it any help at all?'

'Some of it,' I tell him diplomatically. He'd sent me reams of information to do with traditions of Valentine's Day. Much of it had actually been useless; oysters, champagne, red roses. Duo dislikes seafood; neither of us drinks alcohol. I did buy him flowers once, but they died after a few hours. 'The chocolate part of it was very helpful. I asked Relena and she told me about a wonderful little shop near the palace that sells hand-made chocolates.'

'You asked Relena to advise you on something like that?' He sounds torn between amusement and shock.

'Why not? She lives in this city; it seemed sensible to use her local knowledge.'

'And you don't think she might possibly have….misinterpreted your reasons for asking?'

'You may be right, you know. We had a very strange conversation just before I rang you…Quatre, do you think she likes me?'

'Please don't be offended,' he smiles faintly, 'but blind people at the other end of the galaxy know that Relena likes you. The pair of you are plastered over practically every magazine cover in the galaxy.'

'They're just stupid tabloids! No one believes what they say…Do they?'

'I think people believe what they want to, Heero. After everything that's happened, people want to hear some good news; like a romance between a beautiful princess and the man who saved the planet.'

'That's stupid. I've never bothered to hide my relationship with Duo! Why can't there be stories about the two of us?'

Quatre laughs. 'You'd kill anyone who tried to sneak up and take photographs of you two for a start! And the hero is supposed to end up with the princess. That's what happens in all the best fairy tales.'

'Well, Relena knows I'm gay, at any rate. She knows I'm in a relationship.'

'If Duo were straight, and had a girlfriend, would you still be attracted to him?'

'Of course. But I'd never do anything about it.'

'What if you knew he was unhappy? And that maybe he'd made a mistake and you could help him?'

'But we are happy! I love him!'

'You met when you were both very young, at a very stressful time in your lives. It's common for teenage boys to develop feelings for one another, particularly in an all-male environment. You needed release, comfort, some form of companionship.'

'For fuck's sake, Quatre! You can't possibly believe any of that!'

'Of course I don't.' He gives me a sad travesty of his usual bright smile. 'They're all the reasons my sisters come up with to explain me being with Trowa. They're convinced that all I need to do is to meet a nice girl and I'll be cured. If people want something badly enough, they'll find some reason to justify it, to make it right.'

'How can you let them talk to you like that?'

'Well, I can't really stop them, can I? They're my family; I can't force them to change their opinions overnight. We were all brought up to believe homosexuality was wrong. I was lucky enough to get away and meet Trowa. I'm sure once they actually get to know him, they'll realise he isn't … any of the things they say about him.'

'Anyway, stop fussing about me. I know how Tro feels about me; I know he'd walk away from here in a heartbeat if he thought it was what I wanted. Now, you go home and show Duo how much you love him.'

'He knows. Quat….he doesn't mind all that magazine nonsense, does he? I mean, he knows it's not true; it's just some journalists making stuff up to sell stories.'

He is silent for long enough that I start to answer my own question. When he does finally speak, he is very serious. 'Heero, I know that Trowa loves me. I _know _it, more than I know anything in the whole universe. And it would still hurt me dreadfully to see him portrayed as being in a relationship with somebody else.'

'I see. Has he talked to you about it? No, it's all right; you don't have to answer that. I'll take care of it. '

He gives me a questioning glance. 'What are you going to do? You do realise that killing Relena may not be the best solution?'

'Very funny, Winner. No, that's not what I have in mind. I'll tell you later. But it should work; really, all I have to is spend less time with Relena. If we're apart, they can't make up stories about the two of us.'

'Hmm. What are you going to do; resign from Preventers?'

'Just from Relena's security. You know I can't resign totally. I've signed a contract for twelve months.'

'It isn't legally enforceable. I've told you that. You were pressured into it.'

'I still gave my word. And I wasn't exactly forced.' Not exactly. But in that first, terrible week after the war, when we hadn't really known what would happen to the five of us, it had been made very clear to me that the ESUN would take a more lenient view of us all, if at least some of us signed up for the Preventers. Something of a PR coup; the idea of all these former enemies signing up to work together to keep and maintain the peace. Particularly the one who was being heralded as the saviour of Earth.

'It's not as if I'm really achieving anything at the moment,' I reflect. 'I'm just a glorified bodyguard. This way, I may actually get to accomplish something. And hopefully, I'll get to spend more time at home.'

'I'm sure Duo would like that.' My friend's tone is elaborately, warily cautious and I suddenly realise we are on the verge of one of _those _moments. Quatre Winner and I are friends; apart from Duo, he is the person I am closest to in the universe. But Duo and Quatre are…something else, entirely. I'd been jealous of that once; I'd thought it meant there was an attraction between them. It still hurts, sometimes, to know that Duo is confiding in Quat rather than me.

Duo and I have spoken daily since I've been in Sanque, and each time he has been bright and breezy and brimming with plans for our house, the car he is working on, the part-time job he's found in a small book-shop. I can't believe now, that I thought he was the one who would have problems adjusting to our new world, who would need to be protected. It's been the other way around.

'He is…all right, isn't he?' I have to swallow to ask the question. 'I mean, he's handling all of this perfectly, better than any of us.'

'He misses you.' Quatre hesitates, obviously trying to decide what he can and can't tell me. 'Heero, I think you just need to spend some time together. I know how you two feel about each other. Just - don't forget that he needs you, even if he seems to be fine by himself.' He thrusts one hand through his blond hair; a gesture I think he's picked up from me. It always seems strange, to see him tousling his carefully brushed hair. 'Don't worry too much about it, will you? Just make tonight special for him.'

'I plan to. Quat, you don't think he'll think I'm being stupid, will he? With all of this?'

His eyes widen in obvious surprise. 'Of course not. He'll adore it. Trust me, Heero, he'll be over the moon to see you. Now, I think you have a flight to catch, and I have my own plans to make for later, since this morning was something of a disaster.'

'Do I want to know what happened?'

He twinkles at me. 'I brought Trowa breakfast in bed.'

'That doesn't sound too disastrous. Oh, wait, you didn't actually _cook _the breakfast, did you?'

'I'm afraid so. It was actually quite edible, believe it or not. Except that I forgot to turn off the stove. I almost burnt the caravan down, and it smells utterly disgusting.' He wrinkles his nose. 'So I really need to make tonight special.'

'You're not planning anything ridiculously extravagant, are you?' I ask suspiciously. 'Like giving Trowa the Taj Mahal or the Hope Diamond or something?'

'Of course not!' My friend's expression settles into mild affront for just long enough to make me feel guilty, and then he grins at me. 'I'd never give Trowa diamonds. Emeralds would be much more fitting.'

That keeps me smiling all the way to the airport and then doubts start to creep in again, as the memory of my friend's sunny smile fades. Maybe Duo will think I'm being an idiot. He doesn't really share my enthusiasm for Earth customs. He actually mentioned Valentine's Day a couple of days ago; the shop where he works has a small selection of cards, and he was laughing at how corny they all were, wondering why people would buy a mass-produced, impersonal card to declare their love, instead of just telling their partner.

I haven't bought him a card. But maybe he won't like the silly gift I bought for him; maybe it was a mistake. Maybe this whole thing is a mistake. We haven't seen each other for nearly three weeks; not since I was appointed to head Relena's security.

That's not something we've really talked about, but I know he doesn't like her. A feeling that is apparently mutual. I could, I suppose, have refused the assignment. I could have turned down a personal request from the former Queen of the World to be responsible for her personal safety, in favour of being just another agent-in-training under Commander Une.

He could have asked me not to do it. I'd do anything for him; he has to know that. Instead, he encouraged me to take the job, said it would be a great opportunity for me, and that of course he would be fine by himself.

Maybe…maybe he likes the idea of having our house to himself; of being able to do whatever he likes. If I'm not there, he can play his music as loud as he pleases, and not have to worry about me nagging him to pick things up, and eat properly.

No, I will not do this to myself. Duo has told me that he loves me. That he will never let anyone take me away from him. That all he wants is to be with me. All those things he said in my arms on Christmas Eve. He's never mentioned any of that conversation again, but every word, every syllable and pause for breath is branded onto my heart.

And he doesn't lie.

The taxi drops me home at four; an hour before he is due to return home from work. Plenty of time to get everything set up for the perfect romantic evening. I am heading upstairs, a bag in each hand, when I freeze. There is someone in our bedroom.

Duo found this house for us, a couple of weeks after the war ended. While I was still wrestling with my future and my past, he just went ahead and looked up property listings and presented me with a _fait accompli_. He'd even made sure it was within easy driving distance of Preventers HQ; a tacit little gesture of support.

It's the first home that either of us has ever had; our private sanctuary. I am going to kill whoever has dared to violate that.

When I fling open the bedroom door, I am looking down the barrel of Duo's favourite handgun, and my lover is glaring at me.

'Jesus, Heero.' The gun is thrust into the waistband of his jeans. 'What the fuck are you doing, creeping around like that? I could've blown your damn brains out!'

'I nearly shot you,' I breathe in an appalled whisper. My voice refuses to steady itself; my hands, thrusting the weapon away, are shaking.

'Oh, baby,' Duo gasps, wrapping his arms around me. 'It's OK. I'm fine. We're both fine.'

'You weren't supposed to be here!' I slump into the warmth of his embrace, feeling my whole body tremble. 'I thought you'd be at work, and your car wasn't in the drive.'

'I sprayed it last night. There was rain forecast, so I put it in the garage.' His hands trace slow, comforting patterns on my back, as he talks about little things; the car, what the weather's been like since I've been gone, some jobs he's been doing around the house. I will my breathing, my heart rate, to slow down; to let his voice and his touch wash over me.

'There's something wrong, isn't there?' he says suddenly. 'That's why you're here. Shit, it's 'Fei, right? Something's happened to him?'

'No! No, it's nothing like that. I just wanted to surprise you.'

'Oh!' He makes a sound that falls somewhere between a laugh and a choked sob, and I realise that he's just as shaken as I am. He's just controlling it better. 'Well, mission very definitely accomplished there, right?'

'I'm sorry. I thought we had an intruder; I just freaked out that someone had dared to break into our home. Stupid; it never even occurred to me that no one would be able to get past the security system.'

'I never thought of that either,' Duo admits, sinking on to the bed and pulling me down with him. 'I was listening to my iPod; never heard the door open. I just heard the third step creak when you came upstairs. I still haven't got 'round to mending that.'

'Maybe we should leave it; it's not a bad alarm system. Duo, you aren't meant to be at home now. You should be at work 'til this evening. Is everything all right?'

'Yeah. I guess. I quit my job this morning.'

'What happened?'

'I caught a shoplifter.'

'But…that's good, isn't it?' I ask uncertainly.

He shrugs, one hand automatically reaching to fiddle with the end of his braid. 'I guess. It was this skinny teenage girl. Probably not much younger than us. I kept thinking that maybe she'd really wanted the damn book, or that she was going to sell it to buy food or something…I thought I could just take the book back and let her go, but my boss insisted on calling the cops; said it was the store policy for shop lifters and I just felt so bad, like it was my fault…'

'No one needs to steal for food in this country, love. You know that. There's an excellent social welfare system.'

Another shrug. 'Yeah. It was just…too weird. Me being the one to catch someone for doing that sort of thing. It was always my job, you know. I was the quickest; I was usually the one sent out to get stuff. Solo used to try to make it sound like a game; us kids against these rich adults who had so much. But most of those stallholders didn't really have anything much either; just a few things they were trying to sell to feed their own kids. Sometimes they were really angry, and sometimes they just looked - sad. Defeated. Like they knew there was nothing they could do. I hated it when they looked at me like that. You don't know what it's like, Heero, when someone looks at you like you're dirt. I do.'

'Oh, Duo.' It tears my heart; when he talks about his childhood. There is never anything I can do, except hold him close. 'You can't leave over something like that; it wasn't even your fault. People make their own choices. No one forced that girl to steal.'

'You don't know that.' His mouth, his beautiful, sensitive, generous mouth hardens into a rigid line. 'Subject closed, 'Ro. I quit. End of story. I don't tell you what to do for your job; you don't interfere in mine. What are you doing here, anyway? Aren't you meant to be in Sanque guarding her Imperial Pinkness?'

'Not anymore. I'm off her security detail. It was only ever a temporary posting, and there's no real reason for me to continue, now that the situation on Earth has stabilised.'

'Really? That's cool.' His face lights up at the thought, and I suddenly feel terrible for my earlier doubts. Of course he wants me in his life. I have to stop thinking those things; I just find it so hard to believe why he puts up with me. 'Will you be staying here for a bit, then?'

'I'm not sure how long, but Une hasn't reassigned me yet, so that could take a while.'

'Now, that is a good surprise!'

'Oh! That wasn't really the surprise; I wanted to be with you for Valentine's Day.'

'Seriously? All that hearts and teddy bears stuff? I didn't think you'd be into all of that.' He looks faintly surprised, but he is smiling. Maybe this wasn't a mistake.

'Well, I am.' I reach into my backpack and pull out a carrier bag. 'Speaking of teddy bears…I have something for you.'

It's actually a polar bear; they're one of his favourite animals. It's holding a heart between its paws and it is unbelievably soft and fluffy. I really, really hope he won't be offended. It's a bit of a joke, I suppose; this toy animal with the red plush heart, with the words _Hug Me…please, _inscribed on it. But at the same time, it's fun and romantic and a little bit corny. I think that's what this day is supposed to be about.

'Oh, that's so cute!' He exclaims. 'So…do I hug you or the bear first?'

'Me, please. Or I'll start to get jealous.'

The hug metamorphoses into a long, searing kiss, with lots of full body contact. We are both breathless when we finally draw apart.

'Snowy's turn now.' Duo grins at me. 'Or _he'll _be getting jealous.'

He doesn't hug the bear; just strokes his fingers over the soft fur, and then traces the words on the heart.

Things happen very quickly after that. Duo closes his hand over the red heart-shape, and a deep, growly voice starts to say 'I love you', something I'd thought was rather cute in a corny sort of way. It only starts to speak the message; at the first sound, Duo has his gun out and two seconds later, shredded bits of white fluff are drifting to the floor, like snowflakes.

'Shit. Heero, I'm so sorry! I just … wasn't expecting the thing to make a noise! It's that Christmas cracker all over again, isn't it?' I watch his expression flow into guilt-tinged remorse as he realises what he's done. Damn.

'It doesn't matter!' I say quickly, over his apologies, trying to reassure him. 'I should have warned you what would happen. It was my fault and I only bought it for a joke, anyway. This is your proper present.'

His eyes widen as I produce the small wooden casket tied with indigo velvet ribbons.

'Oh, that's nice.' He slides one finger against the grain of the wood. 'I needed a box to put stuff in and this is like a baby treasure chest. I like the different colours and patterns in the wood.'

'It's called Sanque Red Oak,' I tell him. 'And actually your real present is inside the box.'

'There's more? Seriously? You are way, way too good to me, 'Ro.'

He slides off the length of velvet and loosely ties it around the end of his braid.

'I - uh - there's something I got for you too. Well, I made it actually. I was going to post it to Sanque and then I thought you'd probably think this whole Valentine's thing was stupid so I didn't bother, and now I guess you don't so you might as well have it..'

He is talking faster and faster, his words rushing over one another, as he leans over to rummage in the top drawer of his dresser. A small cascade of items tumbles out; lube, a flick knife, a half-eaten chocolate bar, a box of his drawing pencils.

'Here you go.' He hands me a square white envelope, gnawing at his bottom lip. 'It's pretty mushy and all, but I guess that's the whole point of today, right?'

The card is a simple pencil sketch. We are sitting on a boulder opposite the lake; something we've done in real life a couple of times and watching the sun rise. His hair is loose and we're holding hands, something we never do in public. The colours are a soft wash of lemon and peach and gold; dawn colours. In one corner, there is the faintest suggestion of a rainbow; prisms of indigo and blue.

The message inside is carefully printed, unlike his usual illegible scrawl.

_Dear Heero,_

_I love you more than anything. The only things I want for the rest of my life are to watch the sun come up every morning, with you; and to watch the moon and stars come up every night, with you._

_Duo._

'I told you it was totally mushy,' he mutters. 'I figured I'd never actually dare to send it, so I sort of went overboard. Uh, there's something else on the back, too.'

The second sketch shows us in almost the same position, but this time we are leaning into each other, my arm around his waist. The colours this time are of twilight; indigo and blues and little sparks of light from a full moon and stars.

Underneath he has written, so faintly I can only just make out the letters.

_Heero, you are the sun, moon and stars to me. Always._

'It's beautiful. It's perfect.' I already know it's going to become my most precious possession. 'Thank you, love.'

He looks pleased. 'It's not really that good. I've been practising a lot, but some stuff is hard to get just right.'

'It's perfect,' I say firmly, and then kiss him before he can say anything else. 'Now, open your present.'

He laughs as he takes out the carton of chocolate dipped strawberries. 'Oh, this is the new way to get me to eat more fruit, right? Cover the stuff in chocolate?' I can hear the crisp shell of chocolate crack as he bites into it, see the strawberry juice stain his gorgeous mouth. 'This is seriously good. Try one, 'Ro?'

He holds the little fruit firmly, making me lick and nibble at his fingers before letting me take it.

'Oh, I could get to like fruit like this! Now, what's next.' The sachets of flavoured cocoa are placed carefully to one side, and he smiles at the box of Sanque truffles. He'd developed a taste for them when we'd stayed in the palace; he'd charmed the housekeeping staff into always leaving a little tray of them in our room. That had been the first time we'd ever tried combining sex and chocolate.

'Wow! Food sex!' He exclaims delightedly as he pulls out the last item; a small glass jar of chocolate body paint. 'Please tell me Quat didn't put you up to this?'

'He most certainly did not!' I inform him haughtily. 'Unlike certain people, I am quite capable of coming up with romantic gestures without Quatre Winner's input.'

'Oh, yeah?' He pulls a truly horrible face at me. 'That's not what I heard. Plus I've seen those sites you look at on your lappie.' My breath catches as he opens the little jar, and swirls one finger around. Then I entirely forget to breathe, as he smears it across my lips, and bends in to kiss me. 'Mmm. Chocolate-covered Heero. I could get used to this.'

_So could I…._

He pulls back and winks. 'You know, Blue, we're both a bit overdressed, don't you think? We're going to get chocolate all over our nice, clean clothes. And maybe other stuff.'

'Excellent point.'

'So..what's the plan for tonight?' He grins at me when we're both naked, apart from a few chocolate smears. Getting undressed had involved a certain amount of bodily contact, and a minor food fight, involving chocolate paint. He has HY on his right forearm, and my chest is sporting a small model of Deathscythe.

'How do you know there's a plan?'

'I know you. There's always a plan. I'm the one who makes it up as I go along, and you're the one with a dozen contingency plans for every possible situation.'

'I am not!'

'Oh, you so are!' He pokes me in the ribs. 'Admit it, 'Ro. Or I'll make you.'

'Try it,' I gasp, knowing I'll almost certainly lose. I'm stronger than he is, but he's faster, and he's tricky.

Minutes later, I'm sprawled against the mattress on my back, with Duo straddling me, the weight of him a delicious pressure at my groin.

'Tickling…is a most dishonourable way to unman an opponent.' I try to sound severe, but my words are coming out in gasps and wheezes, as his fingers still search out my most sensitive areas.

Duo just laughs down at me. 'This guy once told me that a good soldier is prepared to use anything as a weapon. Sound familiar? Besides, I wouldn't say you're unmanned exactly. The opposite, if anything.' He shifts forward, very slightly, just enough to rub himself against my arousal, and we both gasp. It still takes me by surprise; the sheer jolt of feeling from such a simple touch.

'Oh, definitely not unmanned,' my lover muses, dropping his head a little so the tip of his braid, the strip of velvet, slide against me.

'Oooh!'

'Like that?' He flicks me a smile of sheer delight, tinged with a gleam of mischief.

'Yes.' I like it far, far too much; it is suddenly necessary to concentrate on other things - Quatre's cooking; paper-cuts. The sensations are almost unbearable; the things he is doing with his hair and fingers and that velvet ribbon. It's also the first time he's ever really taken the lead like this; he'd started to tease a little, the first few weeks after the war ended, but he backs off to let me take over when things get serious.

'So, I'm sort of guessing this mysterious plan of yours involves sex and chocolate, right?' Another impish little grin, and a chocolate smeared finger is tracing patterns on my chest. 'Right?'

I manage a nod and get a kiss as a reward. 'You're getting predictable, Yuy.'

One hand reaches behind his head to untie his braid, and a cloud of shimmering hair cascades over his shoulders. Oh, God. I could come, right now, just from the expression on his face. 'Duo, please. I'm not sure if I can last much longer.'

'What happened to all that will power of yours?'

'I think it's evaporated.'

'OK, Blue.' Leaning down to kiss me, he reaches one hand over to search in his dresser drawer. 'Hey, what happened to the lube? How'd it get on the floor?' He hands me the little tube. 'Care to do the honours, Blue?'

I love this part, love the tight grasp of his body around my fingers, the _heat _of him, the tiny gasps and whimpers. He throws his head back, and that glorious hair streams down brushing my legs. Usually, by now, he's lying sprawled beneath me but he seems quite content to be kneeling across me.

'Do you want to go on top this time?' I can't keep the surprise from my voice. He's done it a few times, but I've had to coax him. 'Maybe you should be the one doing this?'

He shakes his head, blushing. 'Not exactly. I just - uh - Quat was telling me about this position and I just thought we might try it. It just sounded.. kind of interesting. Like I get to be the one of top but you're still the one who's tossing. You know? Come on, Ro, I know you've downloaded _The Joy of Gay Sex.' _Just in case I don't know what he's talking about, he inches a little closer, close enough for another tiny electric shock when he nudges against me, and then pushes me flat on the mattress. '.

'I know what you mean.' Before we ever got together, I'd researched sexual techniques 'til my eyes crossed. 'I've read about it. It's not recommended for beginners, but the angle of penetration means that…'

'Heero! We agreed ages ago that you weren't going to start spouting all that technical stuff, remember? It's not very romantic.'

'Sorry. I'm sorry.' My hands travel up his legs, settling on the slight curve of each hip. 'You're being very adventurous today, love.'

'Yeah?' He hunches one shoulder, 'This whole thing, you being here and all; it's like a dream. Like something I've made up out of my imagination. I've been missing you so damn much and then you're suddenly in bed with me.'

'Oh, Duo. I'm sorry I've been gone for so long.'

'Long, huh?' He looks down between my legs and raises his eyebrows. 'It is pretty long, you know. Think maybe we should do something about that now? Or would you rather keep talking?'

Needless to say, that effectively puts an end to any further conversation. At least, of the verbal variety.


End file.
